Water-bucket theory
An unnamed 41-year-old Redditor explains why she spends time dishing out advice on r/momforaminute:
Have you heard of the water-bucket theory? The analogy is that every time something good happens to you, a drop of water goes into your bucket. Every time something frustrating or bad happens to you, a drop comes out; eventually, you’re going to be really angry and really frustrated when there’s nothing in your bucket, so you’re supposed to be looking for ways to put drops of water in your bucket for yourself. When you do good things for other people, they get a drop in their bucket, and you also get a drop in yours. That’s the way that I engage with the sub-Reddit, like I’m putting drops in other people’s buckets. Repairing relationships with family is tenuous and very difficult, and this feels like a very nice, clean way to help people get a little bit more in their bucket and give them strength to carry on.
The Cut: They’ll Be Your Mom for a Minute